Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy

Treatment of cancer involves multimodality approach. This includes chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery. The sequence of the three line of treatment varies from patient to patient. There may be a patient where the tumour has clearly defined margins which makes it easier for the cancer surgeon to operate and remove the tumour. The surgery may be followed by chemotherapy or radiation therapy or even both at times. However, in some cases the size of tumour is so big that it needs to be reduced in size before operating. This is done by giving Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy. Doctors also call it peroperative chemotherapy.

Neoadjuvant therapy is a type of cancer treatment that you receive before you have surgery to remove a cancerous tumor. Your oncologist or cancer specialist may call this treatment perioperative therapy or induction therapy. Neoadjuvant therapy shrinks tumors so they’re easier to remove. In some cases, neoadjuvant therapy eliminates tumors, so you don’t need surgery at all. There are various types of Neoadjuvant Chemotherapies:

Chemotherapy - Chemotherapy destroys cancer cells before they can multiply and make tumors grow.

Hormone Therapy - Some kinds of cancer need hormones to grow, multiply and spread. Neoadjuvant hormone therapy cuts off that supply so cancerous tumors stop growing.

Immunotherapy - These are treatments that target specific proteins and help your immune system fight disease. They can also reduce inflammation caused by your immune system.

Conditions

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy is used for more than a dozen kinds of cancer, including common cancers like breast cancer, colon cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer and rectal cancer.

Breast Cancer - In breast cancer the Neoadjuvant therapy is used for inflamatory breast cancer, ER positive breast cancer, HER2-positive breast cancer, and in some cases of triple negative breast cancer.

Colon Cancer - People with colon cancer that’s spread (metastasized) to their liver may receive neoadjuvant chemotherapy before surgery to remove a tumor.

Lung Cancer - Chemotherapy is a common type of neoadjuvant therapy for non-small cell lung cancer that’s spread (metastasized). Oncologists may also use chemoradiation.

Prostate Cancer - Oncologists may treat some forms of metastatic prostate cancer with hormone therapy. The hormone testosterone boosts cancer cell growth. Hormone therapy in prostate cancer works by reducing your testosterone levels or keeping testosterone from reaching cancer cells.

Rectal Cancer - Radiation therapy combined with chemotherapy is a common treatment for metastatic rectal cancer. Another treatment is total neoadjuvant therapy. This treatment is chemotherapy followed by chemoradiation.

Benefits and Cost

The treatment can turn large tumors into smaller tumors that are easier to remove. In some cases Neoadjuvant therapy may eliminate small tumors so you don’t need surgery. Another benefit of Neoadjuvant therapy is that the cancer surgeon can use smaller incisions to get to the tumor. Smaller incisions may lead to an easier recovery from surgery. Neoadjuvant therapy can help your oncology team find out if a specific cancer treatment is effective. Another importat role of this treatment is in case of micrometastases. Micro metastases are very tiny cancer cells that break off from a tumor and move to other areas of your body. They’re so tiny that tests can’t detect them. Neoadjuvant therapy that affects your entire body gets rid of micrometastases. The cost of the Neoadjuvant chemotherapy depands upon various factors like type of cancer, staging of the cancer and the types of therapies used for the same.

Dr Singh is one of the best medical oncologist in Bhagalpur, Bihar for the treatment and management of cancer. He specializes in the neoadjuvant therapies for various types of cancer. If you have an individual health insurance policy then this surgery is covered after a period of 2 years from the date of inception of the policy. However if you are a beneficiary of company given policy then the surgery is covered from day one. Always go through the terms of your health insurance policy like room rent capping and co-payment to avoid any kind of financial shocks later on.